Apparatus for making shoes



Nov. 7, 1933. w. G. HEIBER ET AL ,9 5

APPARATUS. FOR MAKING SHOES Filed March 12, 1932 4- INVENTORS 14 6! Z (am 6. 7/96Zzer THE/H A TTORNE V Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR MAKING SHOES William G. Heiber and Emil R. Meng, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to William G. Heiber, doing business as William Heiber & Son, Rochester,

Application arch 1.2, 1932. Serial No. 598,488

10 Claims. (G1. 12107) This invention relates to improvements in method and apparatus for making shoes, and has for its principal object the provision of a simple method and apparatus for making shoes of the welt type whereby a'shoe 'of either the soft or hard soled type may be produced at -:a relatively low cost and which is durable and neat in appearance.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method for making shoes in which the welt is stitched to the upper in the usual manner commonly employed in what is known as prewelts, and lasted, the outer edge of the welt is then suitably supported, and the outer sole secured thereto by cement or :glue.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a suitable clamp for carrying out the method, which clamp is formed to engage the lasted upper in the depression between the upper and the welt and which serves to clamp the upper to the last and support the outer edge of the welt while the outer sole is cemented thereto.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the speci fication.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through the last and the prewelted upper applied thereto, and illustrating one possible way of carrying out the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the shoe clamped to the last and the filler and outer sole positioned thereon;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the prewelted upper clamped to the last, and

Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the same.

This method is carried out in substantially the following manner. The upper l is formed of suitable material, such as soft pliable leather. A welt 2 is also formed of similar material and stitched as at 4 to the lower free edge of the upper and may be tempered before stitching in a well known manner.

An inner sole 3 which may be of any suitable material, such as leather or fabric lining, may

be temporarily attached to the sole of the last and the prewelted upper pulled over the last by any usual or preferred means and the lower edge to which the welt is stitched forced inwardly over the bottom of the last or the inner sole thereon by means of wire or other well known I means. Suitable means such as tacks 5, as shown, may be driven into the last at suitable intervals to hold the upper in. lasted position. If desired before lasting the upper, a suitable adhesive in the form of glue or the well known cellulose adhesive may be applied between the inner sole and upper so that the upper adheres thereto after drying.

A suitable filler 6 may be applied to the inner sole between the inturned edges of the upper and inner edges of the welt and substantially flush with the lower or bottom surface of the iwelt. Said filler may be made of. any suitable material, such as felt, secured in position by means of glue or cement, or it may be granulatedcork mixed with glue or cement and held in position thereby.

When the upper is cemented or gluedto the inner sole, it is retained in position on the last when the tacks 5 are removed; however, a suitable clamp has been provided for this purpose and which also provides 'a convenient means :for supporting the free edge of the weltnwh'en the outer sole is applied thereto. Saidclamp-comprises two parts '7 and 8 hinged'together by means of a hinge member 9. The hinge 9 is substantially U-shaped in cross-section so as. to engage both sides of the parts '7 and 8 to which it is pivoted by means of pins or studs 11 and 12, each of which passes through an opening in one of said parts. The parts 7 and 8 of theclamp are in the form of sheet material or plates preferably constructed of metal and when clamped on 'ala'sted shoe, as seen in Fig. 4, form ,a substantially rectangular plate. The adjacent edges of the plates 7 and 8 are formed along the sub stantially straight lines 13 and 14 leadingfrom the outer edges of the plates to central cut-out portions forming an enlarged opening between them. The particular location of these lines is not important, but they are preferably arranged to extend in a direction substantially longitudinally of the clamp to provide as long a leverage between them as possible. One of them is embraced by the hinge 9 which connectsthe parts at one point and the other is embraced by a latch or locking member 15 for securing them in clamping engagement with a lasted shoe. The shoe engaging parts of the enlarged opening are formed of a'size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the lasted shoe, so that when clamped in position on a lasted shoe, as shown in Figs. .3 and 4, it fits snugly in the depression formed between the welt andupper and may engage the stitching between the upper and the welt. The latch 15 is pivoted at 16 to one of the parts 7 and 8, the part 7 in the drawing, and is substantially U-shaped in cross-section so as to form a slot adapted to embrace the parts '7 and 8 and engage opposite sides thereof so as to cooperate with the hinger9to retain said parts in substantially the same plane. A stud or pin 1'7 in the latch is arranged to engage a notch formed in the edge of the clamping member 8 and serves to retain the clamping members in clamping engagement with the lasted shoe. When the latch is'swung on its pivot from engagement with the clamping member 8, the members 7 and 8 are free to swing away from each other out of engagement with the lasted shoe.

The clamping members are substantially flat and arranged in the same plane except for a slight transverse bending at 18 and 19 so that it conforms with the shape of the bottom of the last. It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2 of the drawing that the shoe engaging portions or edges of the clamp are tapered downwardly and inwardly, as at 21, to form a clearance for the upper on the upper side of the clamp,while maintaining a substantially plane surface on the under side of the clamp for engaging and supporting the outwardly projecting free portion of the welt. When the lasted shoe is arranged in the clamp, the tacks may be removed, unless previously removed. An outer sole '22 is formed of :soft pliable leather and may then be cemented to the filler and welt by means of cellulose 'adhesive and pressure applied in the usual manner. It will be noted that the under surface of the clamp serves'to support the free pliable edge of the welt so that the outer sole'can be pressed firmly in contact therewith and a uniform adhesion secured between the contacting surfaces. When the outer sole has been applied as above described, and the cement has dried or set under pressure in a well known manner, the pressure and clamp may be removed and the outer sole and welt finished in the usual manner. By the use of the. clamp, a wide welt can beused in a soft soled shoe to give a greater surface contact between the welt and outer sole, thus providing a more substantial product. Such a welt could be stitched to the lower edge 'of the upper which would be formed to project to 'a greater extent over the bottom of the last, or the welt could project inwardly from the upper to a greater extent over the bottom of the last.

The outer sole can also be formed of the usual hard sole leather and attached to the welt of the pre-lasted and clamped upper by means of glue or other suitable adhesive in the manner above described. When the adhesive has set and the clamp removed therefrom, the sole is stitched to the welt in the usual manner.

In applying pressure to the sole to secure a firm and even adhesion between it and the welt, after the clamp is placed on the lasted shoe pressure can be applied directly on the clamp against the welt, or the pressure may be entirely'on the last while the sole is being supported on a suitable bed. The pressure can also be applied to both the last and the clamp, thus insuring a more uniform distribution over the entire surface of the sole.

In making shoes of this kind it is usual to form a fluted design on the upper side of the welt when of the clamping members may be formed with a sharp fiuting design 23 adjacent to and surrounding the enlarged opening formed by the clamping members. When the clamping members engage a lasted shoe, this fluting design rests on and engages the upper surface of the welt, so that when pressure is applied to the outer sole and presses the welt into close contact with the clamp, the imprint of the fluted design is transferred to the welt.

Various other changes or modifications of this method or clamping device are possible, and it will be understood that this invention is applicable to shoes of all sizes and that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims.

We claim:

-1. A portable clamp comprising a pair of plates hinged together and having adjacent cut-out portions affording an opening entirely surrounding and conforming to a shoe last, said plates having tapered edges extending entirely around the opening adjacent such cut-out portions and adapted to fit closely between the upper and welt proximately in line with the inturned edges of the upper, both said plates being positionable relatively to the shoe by movement in directions parallel to the plane occupied by the welt, and means connecting the plates for holding them in clamping relation.

2. A clamp comprising a pair of relatively thin plates adapted to occupy planes adjacent to a welt and approximately in line with the inturned edges of the upper of a prewelt shoe, said plates having adjacent cut-out portions affording an opening conforming to a shoe last, the outer conformation of the clamp being generally rectangular, a hinge connecting the plates on a diagonal line at one corner while the separable ends of the plates have their meeting edges along the longitudinal axis of the clamp, whereby one "out alongtheir adjacent edges to afford an opening conforming to a shoe last, the meeting edges ,of the'plates at one end being along the longitudinal axis of the clamp and extending at the opposite end from one corner to the central opening, a U-shaped hinge member connecting the plates at said corner and embracing both sides thereof, and a U-shaped retaining member secured to one of the plates at the opposite end and movable into retaining relation with the other of said plates, said retaining member embracing both sides of the plates.

4. A clamp for clamping a prewelted upper to a shoe last comprising two plates hinged together and movable into clamping engagement with the upper and having complementary tapered portions conforming to a shoe last and adapted to fit closely between the welt and upper, said tapered surfaces being formed so as to impart a predetermined design to the welt when pressure is applied to said parts, and means for retaining the said plates in clamping engagement with the shoe upper.

, 5. A'clamp comprising a pair of plates formed of sheet metal and both positionable adjacent the welt and in line with the inturned edges of the upper of a prewelt shoe by movements in directions parallel to the plane occupied by the welt, said plates having cut-out portions affording an opening entirely surrounding and conforming to a shoe last, tapered edges extending entirely around the opening adjacent thereto and adapted to fit closely between a shoe upper and welt entirely around the shoe, and a lever pivoted to one of said plates and engageable with the other of said plates for holding them in clamping relation with a shoe upper.

6. A clamp for prewelt shoes comprising a pair of plates cut out along their adjacent edges to aiforded an opening conforming to a shoe last and engageable at all points around a shoe last between the welt and upper, the meeting edges of the plates at one end being along the longitudinal axis of the clamp and extending at the opposite end from one corner to the central opening whereby one of said plates extends entirely across the toe portion, along one side and partially across the heel portion, while the other plate engages the remaining part of the heel portion and the other side of the shoe, a hinge connection between said plates, and means connecting the plates for retaining the plates in clamping relation, both plates being positionable by a lateral movement relatively to the Welt.

7. A clamp for prewelt shoes comprising a pair of plates out out along their adjacent edges to aiford an opening conforming to a shoe last, both said plates being positionable by a lateral movement relatively to the welt and one of the plates extending entirely across the toe portion, along one side, and partially across the heel portion while the other plate extends across the remaining part of the heel portion and along the other side of the last, a hinge connection between the plates, and means connecting the plates for retaining the plates in clamping relation.

8. A clamp comprising a pair of plates cut out along their adjacent edges to afford an opening conforming to a shoe last and both positionable by a lateral movement relatively to the welt and upper of a shoe, one of said plates extending entirely across the toe portion, along one side, and partially across the heel portion while the other of said plates extends across the remaining part of the heel portion and along the other side of the last, and means connecting the plates for holding the plates in clamping relation;

9. A clamp comprising a pair of plates cut out along their adjacent edges to afford an opening conforming to a shoe last, the meeting edges of the plate at one end being along the longitudinal axis of the clamp and extending at the opposite end to one corner of said opening whereby one of said plates extends entirely across the toe portion, along one side, and partially across the heel portion of the last while the other of said plates extends across the remaining part of the heel portion and along the other side of the last, and

means connecting the plates for holding the entirely around the last, a hinge connection bev tween the plates, and, means connecting the plates for holding the plates in clamping relation.

WILLIAM G. HEIBER. EMIL R. MENG. 

